Hong Kong 'manhunter' guilty over nude photo scam

HONG KONG - A Hong Kong businessman dubbed the "manhunter" was convicted Tuesday after he lured scores of men for nude photo sessions and molested them.

Jerome Lau was found guilty of two counts of criminal intimidation and one count of indecent assault after the court heard testimony that he touched the models' genitals and threatened to circulate their photos.

Reports said police had seized more than 60,000 photos of male models, some taken in compromising circumstances, from Lau, and police had identified 35 people from the pictures including artists and civil servants.

Lau, who often approached his victims by offering them a chance to be a model, was criticised by the judge for using his status "to prey on gullible men".

"This is not only illegal but morally despicable," district court judge Ernest Lin said in handing down the judgement, and ordered psychological tests on the 62-year-old Lau.

Lau will be remanded in custody pending sentencing on June 12.

The court also fixed June 21 to sentence Lau's co-accused, his godson Lo Yan-kit, 26, who had earlier pleaded guilty to one count of intimidating the models. Lo is a member of a local Hong Kong boy band.